Church Lane, Linthwaite

Early in 1935 Willie eventually got planning permission to erect domestic dwellings in the two fields alongside Church Lane, from just above the Vicarage to halfway up the hill towards the junction with Heath Road. By September 1936 he was completing the fourth block of semi-detached two bedroomed houses, No.’s 16 and 18, where the cart track from the Lane goes up to the farmspot; with another 3 blocks at various stages further up the Lane. Meanwhile Dad must have been keeping a close eye on Willie’s activities, or Grandad kept him in touch. Willie himself was not very communicative, and built “ on spec.” leaving advertising and selling to his Agent. Dad sold off his poultry business,

managed to raise £45 deposit and purchased No.18 for £475. It was mortgaged by the Halifax Bldg. Socy. for £430, repayable at £2.6s.11d per month for 23 years (at least £630), and we moved in, I think a week or two before the ‘completion’ date of 29.10.36 as we had been there a month when Joyce was born 11.11.36. Later Dad rented an extension to his back garden, on the nod, from Willie, and after Willie’s death in 1961 either bought or rented the rest of the field to the rear of houses 16 to 24. There is reference to it on a document signed by Emily referring to the conveyance dated 12.5.61. but nothing else in our posession. I know that Dad would never have occupied any land illegally and when Herbert Pennington of No.24 got in touch with Mum while she was living with me, about 1980, concerned about a row between the Dunnings and someone building a garage behind the houses; I rang Cartwrights the Solicitor involved, followed by a letter detailing our interest, but when Mum found out that ‘young’ Mr. Cartwright had retired she persuaded me to drop it and let the Dunnings sort it out.

Dad retired from Wimpenny’s in 1963 when he was 65, but before long he got the job of assistant Caretaker at the new Colne Valley High School which had been built in the fields to the South-East of Church Lane and Gillroyd Lane. He worked there for 8 or 9 years before illness slowed him down and eventually had to go into hospital partly because of a troublesome prostate gland. At home a bed was brought down into the front room of No. 18 and Mum nursed him, but he died on the 11th July 1974. He had spoken to me weeks earlier about looking after Mum but considered that she would be all right staying in the house with an income from the ‘boarders’ Mum looked after, a series of teachers from the School. Mum however was 81, and tired out and expressed a desire to stay with me. The rest of the family agreed, the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brown for £6,230.00 (less £480 bills, funeral expenses etc.) and she came to live with me in Poulton-le-Fyide , and in 1983 she retired into a rest home in Preston, passing away on 31st December 1984 a week before her 92nd.